Shigeo tilted his head, almost annoyed. "Yeah. I know…"

They began moving, dodging panicked students, half-walking, half-running through the quake. Every step seemed heavier, the air dragging against their bodies.

Then, it happened.

A brilliant flash of orange-green light burst across the stone floor, spiraling like a dragon's claw etched into the earth itself. The sigils flared, stretching up into a dome that hummed with power.

Shigeo stopped dead in his tracks, his storm-gray eyes narrowing.

"…An array?"

Saya gasped as her body flickered, the tips of her fingers becoming translucent. "Shigeo—! My body—it's fading!"

For the first time, her voice trembled.

Shigeo remained perfectly calm, watching the runes climb her skin like harmless fireflies. "Don't panic… I know that array."

"This is—teleportation?!" Saya's voice cracked.

"Yeah." He gave the barest shrug, though his eyes sharpened with rare intensity. "But the real question is… who used it? Who designed it?"

As his own form began to flicker, he felt the tug in his core, the unmistakable pull of spatial Shinrei. He grit his teeth not from fear, but recognition.

(Wait… I only ever explained the theory to Khael. How to simplify an array so it doesn't collapse under its own complexity. I told him it was just hypothetical. Even I would need time and resources to cast something this large… So why does this feel like my blueprint, copied perfectly?)

His heartbeat quickened not from terror, but from something he hadn't felt in years: shock.

(Impossible… unless… That idiot actually pulled it off. Tch. Complicated world indeed. But this time… I was outsmarted.)

The world snapped white.

Shigeo and Saya vanished, ripped from the crumbling academy grounds. Along with them, every screaming, panicked student dissolved into streams of light safely transported away.

The last thing Shigeo heard before the light swallowed him was Kaen's furious roar echoing through the void of transit:

"WHERE ARE WE?!"

..

The cafeteria was empty now, eerily silent except for the long, aching groans of the academy walls as they strained under unseen pressure. Plates still rolled across the floor with hollow clatters, carrying the echo of a hundred frightened hands that had dropped them mid-flight. Chairs lay toppled, tables overturned, as though the very room itself bore the scars of panic.

But there were no students left.

Not anymore.

Only Khael remained.

And the teachers, the retired Crimson Veinwalkers, and those still active, the ones who took missions, hardened by blood and oath.

At his side stood a man, his crimson badge glinting faintly in the dim light. His expression was taut with confusion and fear, sweat trailing down his temple. His voice cracked the silence.

"What's going on? Where is everyone?!"

Khael clenched his fist so tightly his knuckles turned pale, trembling with restrained resolve. His heart felt like lead, sinking heavier with every beat.

(I'm sorry… I didn't send you with the others. You're not in the safe zone. I need you here—to protect this academy. To stall what's coming. I'm sorry… because many of you may die here today.)

He forced his gaze forward, not allowing his voice to shake. His eyes narrowed, burning with a fire that tried to smother the dread clawing at his chest. No hesitation. No doubts.

(I already sent word to Master Isen. I told him what's happening—an Eclipse Lord is here. One of the Sins. Reinforcements will come. The Eclipse Vanguard will come. All I have to do… is stall this monster until then.)

The ground trembled violently, rattling the frames of the cafeteria windows. Dust fell in hazy curtains from the rafters, each tremor like a drumbeat counting down to the inevitable.

And for a fleeting moment, Khael's mind slipped backward into memory.

…

Flashback.

The moonlight was pale, a silver veil draped over the academy courtyard. The night air was cold, sharp enough to sting the skin. Khael stood alone, his breath steady but his hands… trembling.

To teleport so many at once demanded more than knowledge. More than Shigeo's theories and advice. It required something intimate, raw, invasive connection. Soul to soul.

Which meant… touching every single one of them.

He remembered their looks, the startled gasps, the awkward laughter, the suspicion.

"Why are you touching me, Khael?"

"What are you doing?!"

"Don't be weird, man—"

Each time, he had forced a smile, scratching the back of his head as though it were nothing more than nervous habit. But beneath the mask, his hands glowed faintly with the Dragon Knight's Technique. Ancient resonance pulsed at his fingertips, brushing not against flesh, not skin but the core of the soul.

It was the only way. To weave them into his array. To anchor them to his spell.

(If anyone knew the truth, they'd think I was some pervert who likes touching people. But… I didn't have a choice. This was the only way. Even if they misunderstand me—better to look like a fool than let them die.)

So he endured it. Shoulder after shoulder, palm against palm, brushing against the essence of his classmates. Bearing the awkward stares, the whispers behind his back, the mutters of distrust.

Because he knew.

This day was coming.

The memory faded.

Back in the cafeteria, Khael exhaled slowly. His eyes sharpened, storm-light flashing in his pupils. Outside, thunder rolled across the unnatural sky, the storm already building its throne for what was about to descend.

(The array worked. They're safe. Every last one of them. Now it's my turn.)

He straightened, scanning the room. The crimson-ranked teachers both veterans long retired and the few still active were already rallying, weapons drawn, Shinrei blazing as they sensed the shift in the air. Confusion and suspicion clung to their expressions.

Khael raised his voice.

"Listen. I know you're all confused about the students being gone… That was me."

A grizzled teacher narrowed his eyes, voice sharp like a whip.

"So you're the one behind this mess?!"

Khael threw up his hands, exasperated.

"No—! I mean—yes, but not like that! The disappearances, yeah, that was me. I sent the students somewhere safe. That's all. Please, I don't have time to explain. He's coming!"

His words echoed just as his system window blinked to life in front of him:

[⚠ WARNING]

[AN ECLIPSE LORD IS APPROACHING]

Khael's throat went dry. His pulse thundered in his ears.

And then… a voice.

Low. Cold. Like a sneer given form.

"Where are the people here?"

Every head turned.

The doors of the cafeteria groaned before bursting open, not with force, but with the oppressive presence that rolled in like a tide. A figure stepped through the threshold—tall, regal, every movement laced with venomous arrogance.

The air grew heavy. Shinrei trembled. Even the crimson-ranked teachers stiffened, their breathing faltering.

The newcomer's lips curled into a smirk. His eyes scanned the room with utter disdain.

"How curious. Only the old ones remain… and one young insect."

One of the teachers, gripping his spear, shouted with defiance that cracked at the edges:

"Who are you!?"

The figure's smirk deepened. He spread his arms, as if introducing himself to a theater that already belonged to him.

"Who am I? You dare ask? I am one of the Sins."

His gaze snapped toward Khael, sharp as a blade, brimming with contempt.

"I am Pride."

The name itself seemed to vibrate through the walls. Every torch guttered lower. The storm outside roared in answer.

Khael's hand balled into a fist, his body trembling not from fear, but from the crushing pressure that made every instinct scream to kneel.

He forced himself to stand tall.

(So it begins.)

To be continue